Reading one word at a time

Monthly Archives: September 2013

Obviously not meaning the book that’s the most comfortable to sit on. I guess I have to go with the obvious and say Outlander or Jane Eyre.

Both books take me back to an easier and simpler time in my life, not necessarily the characters’ life. I find that with these books, I can slip more easily into a different life and story. I can’t do that with every book. I don’t know why, buy I seem to space out in these books and get angry when something bad happens, I smile when something good happens and I generally want to punch Rochester in the nards.

With the Outlander series, I think I just read it at the right point in my life. I was bored on a day off in Medora, I had just that book to read and I finally got passed the first 50 or so pages. (that’s the slowest part) I think that I was looking for a literary character to fall in love with. Jamie Fraser was the kind of guy that I was looking for. And I think I was at the right point in my life for a heroine like Claire. If she weren’t as stubborn or smart as she is, I don’t think I would like the series as much. There is a banter between the two that I really appreciate. They don’t have a perfect love. They fight and disagree on things. I don’t mind books that don’t have a couple as stubborn as Jamie and Claire, but I definitely don’t like them as much. And just for the record, I don’t have a chance with Jamie. I think that I’m not independent enough. You know how Leg Hair wasn’t a good match for Jamie? She like drained the life out of him? That might be me, but classier. And Frank was definitely not right for Claire the cheating…….man.

Jane Eyre is one of those books that you read on a drowsy, dreary kind of day. I think I had this subconscious thing when I first read the book that I wanted to be Jane. Not the orphan that had to be sent away to school but the independent woman. She was legit, even if she sold out and married Rochester. It was a pity marriage? There’s also some connection for me because it was the first classic I read and understood.

Anyway, those are my comfort books. Take them or leave them. Actually, leave them, I like them. I’ll pick them up.

I can’t decide between two so I’m going to talk about 2 books into movies today.

Eragon. Ugh. Good book and the movie let it down. I don’t think that the movie captured the adventurous spirit of the book. The acting was half-way decent, they just didn’t put in all they could have with plot and the feel was way off. I get they can’t put everything in and they geared the movie for a certain age group, but that’s no excuse.

The book had a lot of twists and turns and I felt like the movie went in a straight line. You didn’t get the side stories, you didn’t get as emotionally attached, it set up another movie. The movie failed. If I were to make a movie, I’d set up the movie where you could set up another movie but could end if that movie didn’t go well. The ending in this movie was lame, and in my opinion, anti-climatic. Arya and Eragon just say good-bye and she rides off and he flies off. Give me something to work with. And Arya and the Urgals didn’t look correct. At least try to make the actors look a little bit more like they did in the book. I just don’t understand what the makers were thinking with making that movie. I don’t blame Paolini for this. He probably don’t have anything to do with the creating of the movie. I was thrilled that Jeremy Irons was in it. I was even more excited when I connected him with the voice of Scar from the Lion King.

And then there’s the The Time-Traveler’s Wife. I love Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana but they left so much out of the movie it would be confusing if you didn’t read the book. I have the book on an audio book, and the more I listen to it, the more I appreciate the book. The movie…….WTF? Again the acting didn’t suck. I like how McAdams and Bana worked together but really? They left out too much and I know you can only put so much in a 2 hour movie but there wasn’t getting trapped in the cage or beating up the football player, the girlfriend when they meet, there was no important time-travel moments. The love story even fell short for me. I know that the book wasn’t about the love story but it was an aspect in the book that wasn’t as well-portrayed in the movie. And I have heard that Rachel McAdams is a fan of the book and the movie fell short. Like it wouldn’t even make the short bus, it fell short.

Obviously, these movies are Super Disappointing with a capital s and d.

I feel pressure from everyone to read all these long and smart books and to have an opinion on everything. That coupled with college, I do have a decent amount of long books. Having a long book or two is going to happen.

With that said, what is the deal with GoodReads? It can’t get on anyone’s good side anymore. I mean, it doesn’t really affect me because I don’t care. I just go on to add books and update what I’ve read. So obviously, I’m fine with whatever helps me organize. Other people it affects. Just not me. They just need to get their crap together.

This one is easy. Luke from The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden. He’s so developed for a side character. He’s getting his own book now but you didn’t know that with the Coincidence. He’s very sturdy guy with a lot of stuff that went on in his past. I didn’t even consider anyone else. Luke is my guy.

What I like about him as a side character is that he isn’t comedic relief. He is a sidekick to a point but has his own life. He just happens to be Kayden’s best friend. I never really see him as a full side character or side kick. The Callie and Kayden books never really paint him as being dependent on the main characters. He is his own man. He’s strong, he takes care of himself. Luke has his own opinions. I feel like with a lot of side characters, they don’t have their own opinions. They just latch on the main character. Luke was very vocal about his dislike for Daisy at the beginning of the book and I totally agree with him. Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a book about Daisy and how she came un-whoreish? Because let’s face it, she’s a whore. I wonder how many guys she cheated on Kayden with. Anyway, back to the subject, I would totally go for a guy like Luke if he were real and didn’t smoke.

It would have been so easy to write Luke as a comic or a skeptic or a meathead football player. He is those things. BUT he’s more. I love Jessica Sorensen writing him as his own person. As you can tell, I love Luke. He needs to be real. Like 5 years ago he needed to be real. And what I think is the best part about this is that at 16-19 I probably wouldn’t have gone for a guy like Luke. He’s an athlete, definitely has his own flaws and demons but the older I get the more I see that having your demons isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I have my own demons. I see how you deal with your demons a single of a person’s strength or potential strength. And now Luke is getting his own book and I’m thrilled. I can’t wait until January for that book to come out.

Book Side Note: My friend R is reading Jane Eyre for the first time and she’s updating me on what’s going on and her opinions on what’s going to happen. I keep being cryptic about it. Pretty sure she hates me for that. I’m making her thing which I don’t think she hates me for but she’s not happy that she doesn’t know the ending yet and I do.

Side Note: My friend Ashley just started to blog. Her one post she has up is very well written and everyone should go check her out. She has a beautiful soul and is an amazing mother and the whore moved away from me. I blame her husband. Boo.

DAY 1. – A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just end already.

I realize that I don’t read that many series. Babysitter’s Club, the Mandie Series by Lois Gladys Leppard, Outlander. I’ve started a few and haven’t been brought in by them. I would love to get another series that could hold my attention longer than one book. But when it comes to the question, it’s a hard question. There’s the Outlander series but that’s just running its course in due time, the Lord John series is pointless to me but I get why they’re written. So my answer would have to be….. the Faerie Tale Collection by Jenni James. Some would argue that this isn’t technically a series since there’s no reappearing characters, just retellings of fairy tales. But I would like to point out that it is a series because they run in the same theme and are clumped together under a collection name.

I’ve only read Beauty and the Beast but I’m pretty sure I don’t want to read the rest of the books. I don’t have a problem with retelling of fairy tales. I generally like retellings. I just didn’t like the way it was written. It had a very old feel. I didn’t like the old feel because I like the classics, I like the classic feel. I think I may be a little bitter because it didn’t have the library like the Disney version. I don’t care that it wasn’t a complete replicate of the Disney version but I just wasn’t as brought in by the book. I also didn’t care for the characters. They seemed a little undeveloped to me. Therefore, for those reasons, I didn’t want the rest of the books to exist.

To give this book it’s due, some people really enjoy this book/series. I understand why people like this series. If the rest of the series is like the first one, they’re interesting with a little bit of a twist from the Disney versions, they’re just not a “Venus fly trap” for me. Just try a different style.

I know that I wasn’t to harsh on this series but I just didn’t care for it. I just don’t get into series. I wish I did. Kind of a short and lame post. Sorry.

Blogs-of-a-Bookaholic did this and I liked the idea and so I’m going to do this as well. It’s all about books and I really like books hence the degree in English. I’ll try to keep Outlander and Jane Eyre out of this as much as possible.

So here’s the list.

DAY 1. – A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just end already.
DAY 2. – Favorite side character.
DAY 3. – The longest book you’ve read.
DAY 4. – Book turned into a movie and completely desecrated.
DAY 5. – Your “comfort” book.
DAY 6. – Book you’ve read the most number of times.
DAY 7. – A guilty pleasure book.
DAY 8. – Most underrated book.
DAY 9. – Most overrated book.
DAY 10. – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving.
DAY 11. – Favorite classic book.
DAY 12. – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t.
DAY 13. – A book that disappointed you.
DAY 14. – Book that made you cry.
DAY 15. – A character who you can relate to the most.
DAY 16. – Most thought-provoking book.
DAY 17. – Author I wish people would read more.
DAY 18. – A book you wish you could live in.
DAY 19. – A favourite author.
DAY 20. – Favorite childhood book.
DAY 21. – Book you tell people you’ve read, but haven’t (or haven’t actually finished).
DAY 22. – Least favourite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise.
DAY 23. – Best book you’ve read in the last 12 months.
DAY 24. – Book you’re most embarrassed to say you like/liked.
DAY 25. – The most surprising plot twist or ending.
DAY 26. – Book that makes you laugh out loud.
DAY 27. – Book that has been on your “to read” list the longest.
DAY 28. – Favorite quote from a book.
DAY 29. – A book you hated.
DAY 30. – Book you couldn’t put down.

I don’t know if I’ll do this straight through or if I’ll intersparse it with other posts. We’ll find out.
Just a heads up I’ll be doing this and you can see what’s coming up.

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For the record, I haven’t always kept it on the road. I’ve been in the ditch a hand full of times and there’s always been a phenomenal reason for it. Like freezing rain without 4-wheel drive and snow and deer in the road. But most of the time, I’m a very good driver. I just don’t think that I can be a farm kid and not do some un-intentional off-roading. P.S. I’ve been making a big deal lately that I’m a farm kid in real life. What’s with that?

I went home for like 36 hours. I went, did laundry 5 million loads of laundry,(and I do my own laundry. I used to have to do my siblings’ laundry but since I’m the youngest, I don’t have anyone to do it for me, but me. My mom doesn’t even pity me) went to Bismarck for a family outing and all this without a nap. I work way better with a nap but this was worth it. Two notes on the family outing, if my brother and sister-in-law, for whatever reason, lose my niece all they have to do is have her laugh. It is a very hearty and distinguishable laugh and she laughs all the time. And I don’t realize that I am one of the few people in the world that use the words phonetics and derive in normal conversations.

I was driving home and I hit Adams County and Adams County cops are very strict on speeding. There is no speeding in their territory. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience. So I pass the only town I have to go through in the county and I’m driving and this out-of-state pick-up passes me. Now, I’m going speed limit because I know how intense these cops are about picking up speeders. I slightly speed in the other 3 counties I pass through going home because I don’t see the cops in those counties like ever. Adams County is an exception. I do break the speed limit quite often because 120 miles home is a long way and I get antsy in the car. So he (and it is a man because I did get a glimpse at him while I was scowling at him for going so fast in a “don’t go fast” county) passes me and is going like 15 miles an hour faster than I am and I turn into an 80 year-old and think ” I hope he gets pulled over” and what do you know? Two miles later, he gets pulled over. First of all the sheriff was in a red pick-up. That surprised me because they’ve always been a white Impala and then they bust out a red pick-up. Then I took great joy that this guy got pulled over right before I turn to go north. I take more joy in this than I really should. Again, I turn into an 80 year-old in random times. I also get excited because this happened like a half mile before I had to turn and lose eye contact with the situation.

So I’m driving north and I have to go like 25 miles before I turn again and so I’m driving all excited this guy got pulled over and I fail to remember that this stretch of highway is like the Bird Apocalypse. There are always birds of varying sizes trying to kill you in these 25 miles. So back to driving. I’m driving, listening to the radio and there’s these pheasants crossing the road, a normal thing, and I startled them by entering their territory and they fly up, I duck and break a little and one hits my windshield and flies over my car. I didn’t crack my windshield and I’m convinced that I only knocked the bird unconscious because I have a history of knocking animals unconscious with my car. I did with a deer last fall and know I’m doing it with pheasants this year. I think God was trying to tell me that I shouldn’t be so smug when other people get caught breaking the law, even when I’m following the law at that moment.

I came back to work this morning. My dad was all ready up and had some stuff done and was sleeping again when I was going to leave at like 6 this morning. I was being responsible and was going to tell him I was leaving so he didn’t wake up and wait for me to wake up and leave before he left and I wasn’t there. So I wake him up, make eye contact and I tell him I’m leaving and he’s on his feet in a second like I had told him I was dying of a gun-shot wound. Obviously what I said didn’t translate into what it should have. I try not to laugh when I wake dad and panic him for whatever reasons, but it’s so much fun. And he gets back at me, I promise.

So I’m tired and trying to keep myself awake while driving and I reach the Bird Apocalypse and I come over the hill and go down and what do I have to slam on my breaks for? Not birds. Deer. 4 of them and at least one of them was a buck. I was sleepy so I didn’t see if the other 3 had horns or not. I don’t know what it is about this area but animals love this area. It’s the corn and sun flowers they raise. It has to be. It makes for great for hunting but not great for sleepy Megans. Which is what I am right now.

I don’t even have any good parent stories from this weekend. We talked about insurance, they made fun of me having glass in my foot and looked at my battle wound and we talked about what happens to the farm after they’re gone. (hint: I’m not going back to farm. Taking part of the farm would be taking part of my brother’s lively hood and I’m not a farmer.) I was thinking today that a lot of people will tell parent stories like they tell stories about their kids. I’m totally guilty of that. But I don’t have kids.

On a non-animal related point, it’s my sister’s 7th wedding anniversary. She’s almost in double digits. But so is my high school graduation. I graduated and she got married the same year.